New Two-Hour Cancer Diagnosis and Risk Assessment
A new technology based on mechanobiology can predict within two hours whether a tumour is malignant, and if so, how likely it is that the cells will spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. The method was developed and tested by a research group led by Professor Daphne Weichs from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The study was published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering.
Essence of the Technology
The new technology determines the risk of metastasis by placing samples of tumour cells on a synthetic gel. If the cells are invasive – malignant – they quickly and forcefully push to the surface of the gel.
This mechanical analysis of invasiveness can be applied to many, if not all, types of solid tumours. It successfully distinguishes samples of benign (non-malignant), non-metastatic, and metastatic tumours. The number of cells with invasions and other measurements allow for the prediction of their likelihood to metastasize.
Metastases are responsible for 90 percent of cancer-related deaths. Early prediction of increased risk of metastasis can significantly impact disease management and improve treatment outcomes.
Current methods used to assess the likelihood of metastasis and tumour recurrence are time-consuming and require extensive examinations that take days or even weeks.
Dr. Daphne Weichs and her team successfully tested the express technology on samples of pancreatic cancer cells collected from volunteers, as well as on established breast and pancreatic cell lines. The results were validated against current standard clinical protocols and aligned with clinical diagnoses, prognoses, and patient outcomes. The results also matched established cell lines of the same types of cancer.
“Gels represent a unique platform that mimics the physiological stiffness of soft tissues. The invasiveness of cells taken from tissues is rapidly and quantitatively assessed using our innovative mechanical analysis of invasiveness, which we are currently developing into a clinically applicable technology,” says Weichs.